1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to information storage and authentication thereof. Specifically, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for storing multi-media information in digital certificates, for example, those conforming to recommendation X.509 for authentication and security of directory services.
2. Background Information
As electronic resources proliferate, corresponding increases in the demands placed upon such resources for applications such as electronic commerce also will increase. Electronic commerce requires the authentication of users and other data prior to the performance of transactions. That is, they require that a level of trust be established prior to the performance of transactions. Currently, some methods are lacking in the establishment and maintenance of such trust.
Some prior art solutions for the establishment and maintenance of a level of trust are in existence in the prior art. One of these includes the CCITT Recommendation X.509: The Directory--Authentication Framework (1988). This standard sets forth a protocol wherein certain data are contained in a "digital certificate" which allows the authentication of a user prior to allowing access to a directory. A variety of models are set forth in this standard; however, certain minimum information, such as a distinguished name, validity date range, and accompanying digital signature, which is used to sign the certificate, are used to authenticate users prior to access to directories being granted.
The digital certificate typically assumes that certain levels of trust have already been established from higher levels in a directory hierarchy known as a certification path. A certification path need not be hierarchical, but typically is. In addition, the digital certificate described in Recommendation X.509 has been amended to specify "extensions" which may be used for stronger authentication. See, Draft Technical Corrigenda 2 and 3 to Recommendation X.509 .vertline. ISO/IEC 9594-8. These specify extensions which may be included in digital certificates without modifying the ASN.1 type certificate specified above. No provision has been made in this standard or others of which Applicant is aware in the prior art which sets forth an authentication framework for data by itself, which also includes identifying information, such as that provided in the X.509 standards, for electronic commerce and/or identification, which incorporates many of the modern data formats. These data formats include, but are not limited to, audio, video, or executable program information. Thus, what is required is an authentication framework which allows the transmission of a variety of data types, but yet, allows authentication of such data for various applications, such as modem forms of electronic commerce.
Thus, the prior art of multimedia storage and retrieval suffers from several deficiencies.